Soul Touched by Dogs

Welcome to the Soul Touched by Dogs
Podcast, the show for dog lovers who

see dogs not as toys or tools, but
wise souls worth our respect and care.

I'm an Herrmann, and I'm your host.

I talk to poor some humans, people who
do great work for dogs and their people.

So come and join us for
today's conversation.

Anke: Hello and welcome, Mindy.

I'm super excited to record
this episode with you.

Mindy: Thank you so much for
inviting me to be on your podcast.

I'm thrilled.

Anke: And I'm super excited because
you have a very interesting and very

particular angle to come at this topic.

So, but I don't want to kind of take,
take away any of the, of the thunder.

So why don't you just start
out like, let people know where

in this lovely world you are.

And so what's your business, dogs?

Mindy: Actually, I just moved a week ago,
and I'm right now in Martha's Vineyard.

And, um, so for, in Massachusetts.

And, um, my business is Dogs I Meet.

And essentially I am a dog
photographer and um, I love dogs.

I love photography.

And I thought, Hey, I'm
going to make a business.

And ultimately what was important to
me was to be doing something that I

felt, um, was, was benefiting dogs
and, and the people that love them.

Um, so from a perspective of just.

People who, who have dogs, photographing
them, um, is something special

because people don't think about it.

They don't think about having professional
photos or, or pictures of their dog.

And, um, I speak from experience.

Um, it's something you
will never be sorry.

Having photos that do justice to
your dog and show their spirit.

You okay?

And show their spirit and
their, and their light.

Um, or something that is really priceless.

Um, and also, For dogs that need homes,
photography is so important, um, because,

um, people need to see dogs for what
they are, um, and be able to see a dog

that they can envision in their home.

So a good photograph of a dog looking
for a home is really important.

It could be the difference between
them getting adopted or not.

Um, Organizations doing great work
without photos people don't know or

situations that happen in in other places.

Um, I had an opportunity to go to
Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria

to document what was happening.

Um, you know, you hear about it,
but seeing it So I, um, have found

a way to bridge dog advocacy with
brand marketing, as well as, uh,

photography, you know, for advocacy.

Um, and, um, I do my best to,
to, to do good with my photos.

I

Anke: love that.

I love that.

And I think the thing is, It's not
easy to get a good shot of your dog.

You don't know what you're doing.

I've tried.

Mindy: It's true.

It is a specific, you know, um,
specific niche in photography.

Um, and the, the, the
real key is patience.

Um, I work on the dog schedule.

Um, I work around a dog's personality.

And, um, if you think about it from
a dog's perspective, so number one,

if you want to take a good picture,
you want to get down low and you

want to be on the dog's level.

We, uh, we often call it owner's angle
because people take pictures from

above of their dog on the ground.

Well, that's not on the dog's.

That's not their perspective.

So the pictures that you're really
drawn to, if you think about it,

they're at eye level with the dog.

So just a few pointers and patience.

You know, people are just like,
I'm ready to take a photo.

It's the same thing with
your kids and dogs are like.

I don't think so.

So, you know, you need to engage
them, you need to motivate them,

um, and you just really need to kind
of go on their, their time frame.

Um, so that's not so

Anke: true for everything, right?

Mindy: Exactly.

You know, and, and especially like When I
have a big camera, the dog is just seeing

not my face, they're seeing the camera.

That's scary.

So I, before, generally before I will
start photographing, I'll spend time,

I don't ever pick up the camera.

right away.

I want them to get a
sense of they're safe.

It's, it's, it's okay.

Um, and a lot of times I'll just
keep the camera at my side and

click it and give them a treat.

So they get a connection.

You use it as a clicker, right?

Right, exactly.

To, to, this is fun.

Um, you know, and I mean,
it, it, it, it varies.

It depends on the type of
photo shoot that I'm doing.

Um, you know, if I'm doing more of
a documentary, you know, I don't.

I'm taking pictures in the moment, um,
but again, I still, you know, I usually

will maintain some kind of eye contact.

Um, I'll tend to use a longer lens
so I can keep a little bit more

distance and I'm not in the dog's face.

When I'm doing that.

So, you know, assess the situation
and, and go with it from there.

Um, but to me, I just, you know,
when you can see the spirit of

the dog in those photos and, and
capture it, it's just priceless.

Anke: That is beautiful.

And to use it to tell a story, right?

Because it's not just that particular
moment, especially when you say you go,

you know, you go into these shelters
and you go into these different spaces.

Then, or, you know, like, or the, the,
the veterinary, like the hospital, and

it's like, that's telling a whole story.

Mindy: Exactly.

The tagline, and I, I am obsessed with
storytelling, um, so it's a big part, you

know, I, I don't consider it just a photo.

I consider an opportunity to tell
a story or at least with photos,

what's interesting is you get
to pick the story in your mind.

So you lead them to a place and then
people see a photograph and it's,

you know, they finish the story.

in their, in their minds.

Um, but the tagline of my business
is because every dog has a tail.

T A L A.

And I believe dogs have many, many tails.

Um, and they have their stories, they
have the stories that they bring to us.

Um, just so many.

different things.

I recently did a project, um, for an
organization called Paws for Patrick,

which is a wonderful organization
that helps young people, um, with,

um, some mental health problems.

And they help them get ESA,
emotional support animals, whether

it's a dog or a cat, and they sort
of help them through the process.

And, um, Having these dogs or cats for
the young people is a real lifeline.

Um, and I photographed one of
their, their clients, which was a

young woman who had adopted a cat.

Um, and, um, the cat itself had, uh,
it's a common known, it's a disorder

amongst, cats, but she loved that,
that the cat also, you know, had,

had a problem and that she could
help the cat, um, with that problem.

And it's just brought so much, she's
just a great, Like so much calmer

and she loves the cat and I wish
I should show you a picture of it.

I'll send it to you.

But I was able to photograph them
and capture that bond along with the

whole story of, of the relationship
and of the organization that

facilitated, you know, coming about.

And that was all, you know,
through the lens of my camera.

It's

Anke: really one of those, you know,
where, where you, where you think

of this, uh, you know, the picture,
you know, is a thousand words or

like, I think that really just pops
to mind because it illustrates or

it's that it gives that story that.

So what, what would you say was
your favorite project or, you know,

where you think like, what was the
most heartwarming, uh, client or

story you've ever, you've ever done?

Mindy: There's been so
many, there really has.

There is one, well, there's
more than one, but that, that

stands out in, in, in my mind.

Um, one was a woman that hired me to,
uh, as a, to photograph her and her

husband's dog was really her husband's
dog and she knew that the dog didn't

have long and that she didn't think he
was going to do well the husband was

going to do well when the dog passed so
she wanted me to photograph for the dog

and uh it was December and we actually
the dog's favorite place was the beach

Massachusetts so it was cold but it was
like the stars aligned that day and it

was a beautiful spring like day and um
the dog You know, kind of like perked up

and I, I got these magnificent photos.

Like you could just see the
love, um, between the family

and them carrying the dog.

And, and I did the best I could to
make sure that, um, the dog, I, I

honored the dog and made him look as.

strong and healthy, uh,
you know, as possible.

And, um, the dog passed away a couple
of days after that photo shoot.

Um, and the people were just so grateful,
um, you know, for, for the photos.

And, um, so that one in
particular stays in my mind.

And honestly, so many, I went to
a neuter clinic once and, um, in

Mexico and They, they neutered
like 1, 500 dogs over five days.

And there was one dog that wandered in.

It didn't have an owner.

It just, I guess it smelled the food
and saw the people and the veterinarians

realized the dog needed to be neutered.

So the poor dog wandered in for a
snack and wound up getting neutered.

But it came back every day.

to the, and hung out at the clinic.

And I don't know, there was
just something about that dog.

It was just like such a connection
that, that I had with the dog.

And then it was crazy because,
um, one of the days I wasn't at

the clinic at the time, I was in
town that wasn't even close to it.

And I saw the dog.

And I was just like, I actually ran
in and tried to buy food and feed

the dog, but the dog stayed with me.

And that dog has honestly
been my inspiration, um, to

work with spay neuter clinics.

And I have gone on working with
nonprofits and so forth to raise

probably tens of thousands of dollars.

And it was that dog.

Wow.

Anke: That's incredible.

That's incredible.

And so, so tell me a little bit about
these adoption photos, because I

don't know, like that's, Like I've
seen it makes such a difference.

Like there is an Instagram account
that I sometimes come across

where they kind of taste this.

They often have these before and
after pictures, you know, like

this was the intake photo and you
see some scared creature in some

cage, you know, some ugly cage.

And then you see this little goofball
like, you know, when they have this

Professional photoshoot and it's
like it makes, I mean, are there any,

uh, numbers or, I mean, I don't know
if we even need numbers to say like

how much more likely it is for a dog
to get adopted with a decent photo.

Mindy: It's, it's, it's huge.

It literally is the difference
between life and death.

A photo like that, um, I, I use the
example of not everybody has the

ability to, to, to visualize, um, you
know, a dog that's sad and scared is

gonna be that same dog that they're
gonna love more than anything.

Um, just like if you walk into a
house, some people can say, oh yeah, I

know, I can do this and I can do that.

And they see it.

And other people just say.

That they just see what they see.

Um, so that's why it's so, so important.

These photos make all the
difference to these dogs.

Um, and what one example, um, I recently
did a photo shoot, um, for, um, a hotel in

New York and I used as my dog models, um,
two, uh, different dogs that needed to be.

had been in the adoption system,
so to speak, for six, seven months.

One of the dogs, um, was, was a senior
dog and the rescue was doing great work.

It was being fostered, trying to get
the dog adopted, and it was the sweetest

dog with a wonderful personality, but
it just wasn't getting And I took photos

of it, um, you know, in a dog friendly
hotel and it was, they, they were, you

know, funny, sweet and, and you can
really kind of see the dog's personality.

And the dog still didn't get
adopted right afterwards.

Um, but there's an organization
called Susie Seniors.

I don't know if you know about them.

Um, they also do wonderful work
and they feature dogs that.

need to find a home and are senior dogs.

Um, so the rescue reached out
to Susie Senior and asked them,

actually that was where I found
the dog, was on Susie Seniors.

So they reached out to them again
and asked them to please, you

know, do another, um, feature of
the dog, and they used my photos.

Um, and the story was, was that the
dog, Huck was his name, didn't get

adopted the first time around, but a
photographer saw it and used the dog

in the, you know, for this photo shoot.

And the dog got adopted, and someone
said, I saw that photo, and it spoke to

me, and I knew that that dog was for me.

And I, Recently, uh, the rescue
sent me a whole batch of photos and

just said, can't thank you enough.

You know, um, and I was just
like, oh, that's what it's

Anke: all about.

Isn't that like, it's that that piece is
like, oh, and it is like that, you know,

once sometimes like you see it, look
at a photo and it just speaks to you.

And that's, yeah.

Oh, that's, that's so beautiful.

And it's funny that you kind of like this.

When people walk into a house, I
experienced that with the dress making.

You know, some people would go
and, and see a roll of fabric,

like, you know, obviously like me.

Yeah.

But sometimes clients as well,
they see a roll of fabric

and we'd go like, oh my God.

Because in, in your mind, you
already see the dress and all

the things you can do with it.

Most people Oh, okay.

Until they see the thing almost
finished, they cannot picture it.

And it's the same thing.

Right.

Mindy: So the power of photography
is just a very, very powerful, um,

medium and, and more so, I mean, I,
I know, and, and video is wonderful.

Um, video is sort of the rage.

Now, more so than stills, but
there is something about a still

photograph that just draws you
in and, and, and speaks to you.

Yeah.

I

Anke: think that I don't think
photos and videos really compete.

It's just a different medium.

True, true.

There's nothing

Mindy: just like that one
moment captured, you know.

Yeah, it does it.

That's the thing about it.

It's a, it's a moment in time that gets
frozen and even children, if you sometimes

children have their early memories.

It's not them.

They don't have a memory.

It's the photo.

That they've seen as they got
older becomes their memory.

Um, you know, so it's,
it's really interesting

Anke: Yeah.

That, that, yeah, totally.

Totally.

So where can people go and
find out more about you?

Where can they connect with

Mindy: you?

Where can they hire you?

Um, so it's pretty simple.

The name of my business is Dogs.

I meet MEET.

Uh, my website is Dogs I meet.com.

Uh, my Instagram is at Dogs.

I meet.

My email is hello at dogs.

I meet and my Facebook is dogs.

I meet my LinkedIn is under my
name Mindy Dutka reach out Email me

direct message me call me you know
and Love to talk with you work with

Anke: you Thank you, thank you
so much for coming Yeah, that's

just It's just heartwarming to
see what can be done and when it's

all applied in this beautiful way.

I just love it.

Thank you.

Mindy: Thank you.

Thank you so much for
having me on your show.

Thanks so much for listening.

If you enjoyed the episode, don't forget
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And if you know a pawsome human
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I'd love an introduction.

Email me at Anke.

That's A N k E at Soul
touched by dogs.com.